A World of Longing, a Revolving Pain
by TheSpoonMaster
Summary: Chapter 5 is finally up! I've changed the title for my own reasons.
1. Hiashi's Revelation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters in either show. All new characters are purely fictional and any resemblance to real people is 100 percent accidental.**

**Note to all readers: I know that some things won't be the same as in the actual series.**

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**Pre-story Summary:** Sakura is honing her medical jutsu skills, while team InoShikaChou is on a mission. Kiba, Shino, and TenTen are on a mission because Hinata was recovering from a previous difficult mission. Neji is training with Hiashi, while Hinata watches on. Rock Lee has gone on a mission with Gai Sensei. Naruto has just returned from a simple solo mission and, with Jaraiya still on his secret mission, is very bored, so he goes around town looking for entertainment. He finds a hidden cave which leads down into a large underground cavern. Naruto decides that it's the perfect place to train in secret. Lately he'd been interested in discovering his own jutsu…

*-*-*

Naruto sat with his legs crossed, eyes closed, and his hands together, focusing his chakra. He was walking through his mind passing different rooms. In one room was the Kyuubi that had been sealed inside of him. In another were his memories before he had any friends. Naruto walked past the door that held everyone who was dear to him. He stopped outside the door without a handle on it. A dim light was swinging above his head. _This one,_ thought Naruto, _This is the door with all my jutsu in it!_

Just as Naruto was about to push the door open, his stomach rumbled. "Gahhh! I'm starved. Who would have thought that just walking through my mind would make me so hungry? I mean, I just ate like…uh." His stomach rumbled even louder. Naruto smiled to himself. "Actually, it's been a while since I last ate he-he-he." He popped up and headed towards the secret entrance he had discovered to the cavern. The light-haired shinobi was already salivating, thinking about all the ramen he would eat.

***

Tsunade watched Sakura attempt a level two medical jutsu. _Incredible, _she thought, _the girl is already close to mastering a second level medical jutsu, and she has only been training a month!_ Lady Tsunade's didn't show her thoughts as Sakura's shoulders slumped due to her failed effort. The Hokage's face was stern as she said, without emotion, "Try again, and focus more." Sakura tensed as she concentrated and thought to herself: _This time, for sure!_

***

Hinata watched her cousin Neji spar with her father. _It's no use_, she thought to herself, _my Byakugan's technique is different from Neji's. There is nothing I can learn from watching him train. But…but I have no one else to train with. _After thinking unhappily for a few minutes, Hinata came to a decision. She would watch the men fight until they took a break, and then she would go get something to eat. She nodded to herself once, to confirm her thoughts. Hinata sighed as she watched Neji try to match her father's speed once more. _I wonder what Naruto is up to…_

***

Naruto sneezed into his bowl of ramen. "Bless you!" said the owner of the Ichiraku Ramen shop, "You aren't coming down with something are you? You know how hard I try to keep this shop sanitized!" Naruto wiped his nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure that it's just a pretty girl thinking about me somewhere." The ramen shop owner laughed and said, "Oh, sure, about you Naruto, ha-ha, a pretty girl, right!" They knew each other well, Naruto being a regular in this particular ramen shop. Naruto laughed along with him and slurped up the rest of the ramen in his bowl.

Naruto leaned back and patted his stomach as he sighed with content. The shop owner had no other customers, so he leaned over the counter and said. "So, Naruto, what've you been up to?" Naruto thought for a moment and then said, "Well, I finished a mission today. It was so easy! Some guy tried to get a ransom from a little old lady for her dog, and I was supposed to get back the dog and try to catch the guy. So now he's sitting in prison. No sweat." Naruto stopped to pick something out of his teeth. "He deserves it. I mean, what kind of guy steals from an old lady?!" The shop owner shook his head and tut-tutted while muttering, "People these days!"

The curtain behind Naruto slid open and sunlight poured into the small shack. Naruto turned around to see the newcomer as the shop owner quickly straightened at the sight of a new customer. When Naruto saw who it was, he said, "Oh, hi Hinata! What are you doing here?" When Hinata saw Naruto sitting there, his head leaning backwards over the back of his seat, she blushed and said, "Hi, Naruto. I-I came to eat here." Naruto's eyes widened as he sat back into his chair correctly and turned around. "Oh, you mean, you like ramen too? I mean, I love ramen and this is my favorite place to eat it because of the chairs, you know? No other ramen shop has chairs with backs in them, they're all stools. Huh? Hinata why are you all red in the face?" Hinata was still standing in the entrance, blushing deeply from all the attention Naruto was giving her.

The shop owner swatted at the back of Naruto's head with his towel. "Naruto! Stop alienating my customers!" He turned to Hinata and said, "Go ahead, sit down. What would you like to order?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, "Alia-what-ing?" Hinata made her way to the chair next to Naruto and quietly ordered a bowl of ramen. Naruto was muttering something about hitting customers in the head, while Hinata stared at her hands, twiddling her thumbs. Then Naruto turned to her and said, "Hey, Hinata, where are Kiba and Shino?" Hinata looked up at him with her pale eyes and said, "They…they both went on a mission." Naruto's expression was incredulous, "You mean they didn't take you with them?! What kind of teammates are they?!" Hinata shook her head and answered, "Please Naruto, it's not like that, I was recovering and not able to be of any help, so they had to go without me." Naruto looked at Hinata doubtfully and mumbled, "Well okay, if you say so." Hinata smiled and nodded. Then the shop keeper brought Hinata's ramen and a silence settled in the shop.

Naruto seemed deep in thought and then said out loud, "Hinata. If you're not on a mission and you're not in recovery anymore, then shouldn't you be training?" Hinata blushed again and answered, "I'd like to, but with my jutsu, there isn't much I can do training alone." Naruto nodded in understanding. "Yea, I know what you mean." Then his face brightened as he said, "What about Neji? Couldn't you train with him?" Hinata turned away from Naruto and tried to think of a way to tell him why she couldn't train with Neji, but the words wouldn't come out. Naruto affected her in a way that no one else did.

Naruto watched Hinata avoid his gaze and wished he'd kept his mouth shut. He hadn't wanted to make things awkward. _Poor Hinata_, he thought,_ she can't train alone because she her Protective Eight Trigrams is a defense jutsu, and her Byakugan is not really a thing that you can practice. I know!_ Naruto turned towards Hinata and said, "Uh, Hinata?" Hinata looked at Naruto and in her soft voice said, "Yes, Naruto?" Naruto's eyes were wide with excitement as he voiced his idea, "How about you and I train together?" Hinata's pale eyes went wide with surprise. _Naruto…_

***

Sakura was filled with excitement. She had finally done it! She had mastered the level two healing jutsu! Sakura turned to look at the Hokage. Lady Tsunade was barely able to contain her surprise. _This Sakura Haruno has mastered a level two healing already?_ Tsunade thought. _How does she do it? What drives girl so hard that she is able to achieve the seemingly impossible? She is definitely a genius equal to Shizune._ "Good work. Now get some rest." Sakura was disappointed that Lady Tsunade didn't show more enthusiasm. Oh well. "Thank you, Lady Hokage."

Sakura dragged her feet all the way home. She was so worn out! She stopped outside her house, enjoying a few more seconds of the warm afternoon. Sakura took one more deep breath and entered her home. She heard her mother call out, "Sakura dear, is that you?" It took Sakura all the strength she could muster to call out and answer, "Yes mother, it's me. I'm very tired so I don't think I'll come to dinner." She started down the hallway to her room. "Are you sure?" Sakura sighed as she flopped down onto her bed. She could already feel sleep coming to give her relief. "Yes, mother, I'll be fine," she said sleepily.

***

Sasuke was running through a field, running from something that was chasing him. Sakura was right behind him, trying to keep up. "Sasuke, wait for me!" Sakura wailed. Sasuke ignored her and kept on running, maybe even faster than before. Sakura could sense the distance growing as the Sasuke in front of her seemed to be getting smaller and smaller. Sakura poured her heart into her running, but that seemed to make her even slower. "Please Sasuke, slow down!" she screamed. Sweat was pouring off her body and was running into her eyes mixing with her tears. The all of a sudden, there he was, right in front of her. "Sasuke, you came back." Sakura smiled. She was happy, so happy. Sasuke smiled too. But his smile was evil. "You wretched girl, Sasuke is mine, all mine!"

All at once, Sasuke became Oruchimaru, and he was reaching for Sakura. Sakura backed away, her eyes wide, murmuring, "No, please, no!" Then: "Oruchimaru! Leave her alone!" It was Naruto! Sakura was relieved, so relieved. Now he was going to save her! Oruchimaru turned in Naruto's direction and hissed. Sakura cowered on the ground sobbing for Sasuke to come back to her. Then she remembered. She was no longer going to be a burden. She could take care of herself! "Sorry Naruto," Sakura whispered, "but it's my turn." Oruchimaru punched Naruto in the face and he was on the ground, not moving. Sakura stood up and said aloud, "Oruchimaru, you'll pay for what you did to Sasuke!" Sakura felt a power flow through her as she walked in Oruchimaru's direction. She was finally going to kill the evil that had taken her Sasuke from her. Oruchimaru stood frozen to the spot. _It seems he can't move_, Sakura thought. She laughed out loud as she raised her fist. It was glowing with green chakra. "Now die!!" She hit Oruchimaru in the heart, her hand going all the way though his body. She pulled her hand away from him and he fell to the ground, dead.

Sakura walked up to Naruto, who was twitching on the ground. She kneeled on the ground next to him and used her healing jutsu on him. Naruto's eyes flew open and he sat up. "Sakura, are you okay-?" He stopped talking when he noticed that Oruchimaru was already dead. His blue eyes wide, he said, "Sakura, did you…?" Sakura smiled at him and said, "You don't need to take care of me anymore. I am no longer a burden, Naruto." Naruto gave her a sad smile. "Sakura, you're not the same person you were when we first met." Naruto's words seemed to echo around Sakura's mind. Even Naruto was starting to blur. "You're important to me Sakura, but not the way you were at first, not anymore." Naruto seemed to be sinking into the ground. Sakura grabbed him, but he turned into a skeleton and fell apart in her hands. "Naruto!" Sakura screamed.

Sakura sat up in her bed, breathing heavily. _Whew! It was only a nightmare…Only a nightmare…_

***

Hinata stood in the middle of the forest breathing heavily. _Byakugan!_ She said in her mind. Now she could see Naruto's body heat creeping stealthily through the forest towards her. She tensed and got ready. Then something hit her in the back of the neck. Hinata fell forward, feigning unconsciousness. She heard Naruto's voice behind her. It was his clone! She should have paid more attention. Hinata heard the real Naruto run up from where he'd been hiding. Naruto and his shadow clone kneeled down by Hinata. She felt them gently shaking her. "Hinata, are you okay?" Naruto sounded very worried. Hinata allowed herself a slight smile. He was going to be so surprised.

Naruto was scared that he had hurt Hinata badly. He turned her over onto her back as he examined her face for any signs of pain. _She seems like she's alright_, thought Naruto. He made his clone disappear, no point in wasting chakra, maintaining it. What was he going to do? He'd knocked out Hinata and possibly hurt her. _Oh man, her father's going to kill me!_ Suddenly, Hinata leaped from the ground and attacked Naruto. He tried to jump back and out of the way, but she caught him by surprise. She punched him in the stomach with one hand, then the other. Next she spun around in midair and kicked him square in the chest. Naruto flew backwards and landed on his back.

"No fair! You tricked me! I was really worried, Hinata!" Hinata covered her mouth and giggled. Naruto struggled to get up, but he didn't seem to have the energy. Hinata went over and helped him sit up. He was breathing very heavily, even coughing a little. _"_To tell you the truth, Hinata, that was amazing. You really fooled me, and you moved so fast!" Hinata blushed deeply and covered the lower part of her face with her hands to hide her happiness that Naruto was impressed. Naruto coughed again, but this time blood came. Hinata was shocked; she hadn't hit him in any vital organs, but… Naruto looked up at her and smiled, to show that he was okay. "You were using your Gentle Fist jutsu, weren't you?" Hinata looked anxious as she said, "Yes, but…but I didn't aim for your vital organs. Are you going to be okay Naruto?" Naruto struggled to his feet and said, "I'll be fine. I think that we've trained enough for today, don't you?" Hinata nodded her consent.

Naruto tried to start walking back to the village, but he swayed and stumbled. Hinata caught him before he fell. "It's okay Naruto. You can lean on me; I'll help you back." Naruto gladly put half his weight onto Hinata, and they made their way towards Konoha. Naruto sighed as he watched the sun start to set. "So pretty," he mumbled as his head fell onto Hinata's shoulder. Hinata's heart pounded hard against her heart. _Naruto, so close to me and his head on my shoulder…_

Hinata tried hard not to laugh when she realized that Naruto was asleep and still shuffling his feet along with her. The sun was halfway through setting when they reached the village and Hinata found that she had no idea where Naruto lived. She was getting very tired, carrying both of their weights, but she was enjoying Naruto being so near to her. She decided to take him back to her home and let him rest the night there. When she walked into the building where she lived, Neji and her father, who were sitting at the tea table, both turned and stared at her. Hinata blushed and tried to explain, but all she could get out was that Naruto was hurt and that he may need medical attention. Neji and her father understood her, for they knew her well, and took Naruto to a spare bedroom.

Hinata sagged onto a couch with relief. They hadn't asked too many questions and had accepted Naruto. She was so tired…

Hinata was shaken awake by Hiashi. He was giving her a strange look, a look that had sadness mixed into it. Hinata realized she had fallen asleep on the couch, blushed, and said, "Yes, Father?" The leader of the Hyuuga clan pulled her up gently and led her to a table. She sat there and tried to rub the sleep from her eyes. Hinata noticed that the sun had completely set, but she didn't know what time it was. Her father rarely stayed up too late, which meant it couldn't be too late in the night. The man in question prepared some tea for both of them and sat down as well.

"Hinata…There are a few things we need to talk about." Hinata didn't know what it could possibly be, but she answered, "Yes, Father." It seemed that was all she could say to him. "Firstly, I would like to talk about your Byakugan. I understand you were training with this boy?" Hinata nodded and he continued, "I realized that you never seemed to gain anything from watching Neji and me spar, even though I suggested it. I thought about your situation, and came to the conclusion that your Byakugan might use a different kind of technique. It is fairly uncommon, but there are Hyuuga that have medical Byakugan." Hinata gasped in surprise. "You don't mean that I…" Hiashi nodded and said, "Yes, Hinata. I think that you might be one of those Hyuuga."

Hinata's eyes were wide with surprise. _Could it be...?_ Hinata's father watched her with his pale eyes and then got her attention again by saying, "A rumor has reached me that you have perfected your own Eight Trigrams technique. What do you call this jutsu?" Hinata wasn't surprised that her father had already found out about her different technique. Naruto had been so impressed… "I call it the Protective Eight Trigrams." Now her father seemed surprised. "Hinata…Are you sure? What exactly does it do?" Hinata explained how she made a round web of chakra that repelled anything harmful, while also damaging it. Hiashi was staring at her. "Hinata…There is no question about it: you're definitely a medical Hyuuga."

Hinata's father seemed lost in thought, but Hinata didn't mind; she was lost in thought also. She now understood why she could never learn Neji's technique; it was a warrior's technique. Hinata had so many questions to ask that she didn't know where to start. Hinata's father broke the silence saying, "I spoke to the Hokage. Apparently, she is already training another girl in medical jutsu, and she is willing to take on another. Now Hinata," her father gave her a stern look, "The other girl seems to be a genius at medical jutsu, so I don't want you to push yourself to match her." Hinata still couldn't get over the thought that she would be a medical ninja. She couldn't wait to tell Naruto…

Hinata's father seemed to read her thoughts saying quietly, "Hinata…I also wanted to talk to you about this boy with the blond hair. What your relationship with him?" Hinata's pale eyes went big with surprise, "Father, what…what are you talking about?" Her father's Byakugan eyes softened as he said, "Hinata…I've seen the way you look at him. Whenever he pays special attention to you, you get red in the face and stumble all over yourself. Now you've been training with him alone, and you've even brought him home with you!" Hinata hung her head and tried to speak, to explain, but she was shocked to silence that her attraction to Naruto was so obvious. "Hinata, there is something that you need to know. You are at the age that boys start to notice you, and the other way around. The thing is, Hinata, there are Hyuuga clan laws, laws that prevent the Heir's marriage to a person of their choice. As the Heir, you are required to go through a betrothal. This is to keep the Byakugan from spreading through the other clans." Hinata was staring at her father with her mouth slightly open.

"Hinata, I did not make this law, it has been in the Hyuuga clan for generations. There is no way around it. Even if not this boy with shadow clones, then some other boy might steal your heart. According to custom, as the female of the pair, you would be required to leave your clan to join your partner's clan, except, of course, in certain circumstances. Certainly, the male of the pair may choose to be the one to change clans, but even so, Hinata, you are the Heir of the Hyuuga clan; you have no choice in the matter." Hinata looked stricken. "Hinata," her father gave a look so gloomy that Hinata felt a great sadness overwhelm her, "I want you to harden your heart. Forget the boys that try to get your attention in those ways. I…I don't want to see you get hurt, Hinata. You're my daughter, and you are very precious to me."

Hinata once again felt the burden of being the Heir. _Naruto…_ _At least I know that he doesn't feel the same way about me, so I don't have to worry about him getting hurt._ Hinata looked up at her father with determination on her face, "Father, I understand. I will do as you say." The relief on her father's face was so obvious, that Hinata almost laughed deliriously. Hiashi drained his cup and stood to leave the room. Hinata's tea remained untouched as she said, "Oh, and Father?" He turned to look at Hinata reluctantly. Hinata smiled at him and said, "Thank you."

**Note from author: I tried my best to spell the names and terms correctly, and to keep the characters' personalities like they were in the manga/anime. If I made any mistakes, please tell me**. **I can take any bad reviews, so don't sugarcoat anything. Thanks a bunch!**


	2. A Cold Hinata and a Confused Naruto

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden.**

Naruto woke up lazily. He was in one of those situations when no matter which way he turned, his new position was far more comfortable than the last. Naruto yawned widely and looked around his room. _What the…?_ This wasn't his room. _Where am I? What happened?_ Naruto crawled reluctantly out of the soft bed and went around the entire room, examining it. It was a relatively blank room with no fancy furniture; just a desk, a chair, and the bed he had slept in. _What's going on here?_ Naruto cautiously opened the door at the end of the room and peeked out. Nobody was there, just an empty hallway. He quickly put on the rest of his clothes; it wouldn't be good to run into someone in his underclothes.

As Naruto made his way through the different corridors, he had a horrifying thought: _Did I die?!_ The more blank rooms and hallways he saw, the more he feared the worst. When Naruto walked into the kitchen, however, his face transformed into a vision of pure happiness. _If I'm dead, then this must be heaven!_ There was a whole cupboard filled with portable ramen! Naruto giggled to himself and then with narrowed eyes looked left and right as he proceeded to try and rob heaven. He was just about to grab his first package of ramen when a woman walked into the kitchen.

"I wasn't doing anything!" Naruto yelled. The woman jumped backwards in fright as Naruto continued trying to come up with excuses, "It's all right! I was only planning to play a prank, honestly! I'm not really hungry, nope!" Naruto's stomach promptly growled to contradict his statement. The frightened woman in the doorway laughed and then said, "You must be Hinata's friend. It's fine; I'll make some food so that you can eat." _Hinata…_Then Naruto remembered. _I'd been training with Hinata, and then she'd tricked me, but we were tired, so we were heading back to the village and I must have passed out._ Naruto noticed the unfamiliar woman had Byakugan eyes. _Then that means I'm at Hinata's place. But if I'm at Hinata's home, then…_Naruto thought about that for a few more seconds. Then his face took on an expression of horror.

"Aaaahhh!!! Did Hinata undress me?!" The Hyuuga woman took in Naruto's horrified expression and words and gave a hearty laugh. "Don't worry; it was Lord Hiashi and Neji who put you to bed." Naruto's expression didn't improve. "Those weirdoes," he muttered, "What are they thinking, undressing another man?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said; did you need something?" Naruto shook his head innocently, "No thanks, I'm fine. I'll probably be on my way now. You don't need to feed me, it isn't necessary." Once again, Naruto's stomach rumbled, louder than before. "It's okay," said the woman, "I want to." Naruto smiled thinly and sat down saying, "Well okay, if you insist." She smiled at Naruto and proceeded to prepare something to eat. "It's actually almost time for lunch, but if you would like, I could prepare a breakfast type meal." Naruto was indignant, "What?! Almost lunchtime?! Why didn't anyone wake me?!"

The Hyuuga woman seemed surprised by his ire. "Hinata didn't want us to wake you. Besides, Lord Hiashi checked your condition, and came to the conclusion that when Hinata attacked you with her Gentle Fist, she wasn't aiming for fatal areas. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that she wouldn't hit you dangerously, especially when you twisted in attempt to dodge the attack. This caused Hinata's Gentle Fist to connect with your stomach, but you don't have to worry, Lord Hiashi took care of the damage caused."

This subdued Naruto some. "Wait a minute. How do you know so much about what happened when I was training with Hinata?" The mystery woman said, "Oh, you don't know? I am Hinata's mother; she told me what happened." Naruto felt like an idiot. It made sense that the woman living in Hinata's home would be her mother. _Ah well_, thought Naruto, quickly getting over the feeling. "So, where is Hinata anyway?" Hinata's mother started piling food onto a waiting plate while saying, "Hinata had to go see the Hokage." Naruto was dismayed, thinking that Hinata was going to get a real mission. He'd been looking forward to training with her today. "Grandma Tsunade? But why would she need to go see her?"

Hinata's mother looked at Naruto with a shocked expression. It took Naruto a moment to figure out what was wrong. He smiled sheepishly and said, "Sorry, I meant **Lady** Tsunade." Hinata's mother looked relieved as she set a plate piled high with a variety of food. "I would rather let Hinata tell you that." Naruto stared at the food on his plate. "Oh, okay…" His mind was already on other things.

***

Hinata stood before the Fifth Hokage and tried not to waver under Tsunade's critical stare. "So, a medical Byakugan, huh? I've heard of these before. You're a lucky one, Hinata Hyuuga. The Byakugan is a very useful asset in medical ninjutsu. It can locate the body parts that are in most danger of failing. What's more is that your Byakugan will allow you to see exactly what you need to do to improve a patient's condition. You will have to work hard to catch up to Sakura Haruno's progress. No matter. I am contemplating the benefits and downsides of enlisting Ino and TenTen in medical ninja arts as well. When they return from their missions, I shall let them have a choice. If they agree with my terms, then you will start your training with them. Either way, you won't start your training until they return, so I suggest you make good use of your free time. You are dismissed."

As Hinata made her way home, she was amused at her new impression of the Hokage. _She sure talks a lot._ As Hinata neared her home, she thought about how she had spent the night before. She had sat meditating for hours until she reached a state of total peace. In this way, she was able to walk around what the Hyuuga Clan called the Soul Chambers. To Hinata, it was a gloomy place where she was never happy. It hadn't taken long for her to find the room she needed; the room of the people most precious to her.

***

She entered and came upon a completely empty room except for a small table that held a number of small boxes. In each box, there was a glass orb. Hinata saw the orb that contained her memories of her father. Her eyes passed over the box the contained her mother's image. Hinata searched on and was very surprised to discover that Neji was one of the people most valuable to her. Hinata's heart beat faster when she found the orb of Naruto. She reached over the table and lifted it out. Now all she had to do was destroy it. Hinata peered into the orb and one by one, went over all of the experiences she'd had with Naruto. In the Academy…the Chuunin Exams…visiting him in the hospital…various missions…

Hinata lifted her gaze from the orb and smashed it against the ground. She felt a sudden change within her. Hinata wasn't sure whether the change was for the worse or for the better. She watched the shards of the orb start to fade from the floor. Hinata noticed one shard that resembled a tiny kunai. She picked it up and smiled. It wouldn't hurt to keep this one interesting piece; she had lost all of her feelings for Naruto, she could sense it. Hinata put the small shard into her jacket pocket and focused her mind. Within seconds, she was back in the real world. Hinata reached into her pocket and pulled out the small shard. Then she collapsed backwards onto her bed and passed out.

Now Hinata entered her house and wondered if Naruto was still there. When she realized that she really didn't care, she felt a small sadness touch her. What had it been like to feel for him? She had already forgotten. Hinata hadn't changed that much. In fact, the only difference was her attitude towards Naruto. Hinata smiled to herself; she was feeling very light, as a giant weight had been lifted. _Naruto Uzumaki_, she thought to herself, _I'm finally free of you._

***

Sakura was having tea with the Hokage and Shizune. She hadn't wanted to, but Lady Tsunade had insisted that she join them. "You are a level two medical ninja; you are already eligible to act as my assistant. You will join us," Tsunade had said. Now they were discussing Hinata Hyuuga and the other two female shinobi. "Sakura," Tsunade said, "You've had more experience with these girls. I know Hinata has the ability because of her Byakugan, but what about Ino and TenTen? What do you think?"

Sakura was recovering from her initial surprise that the Hokage had actually spoken to her and even asked her opinion. "Well…umm…Ino, I think, would have the ability, but I don't really know TenTen that well." Tsunade nodded and turned to Shizune saying, "Well what do your reports say?" Shizune looked at her papers on more time to confirm what she was about to say, "According to the evaluation of their abilities, they can both be potential medical ninja." Tsunade nodded again and sighed. "Okay then, now we go on to less tasteful subjects." The Fifth Hokage looked at both of her subordinates in turn. "Naruto; what do we do about him?" Sakura was confused, "I don't understand what you mean, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade gave Sakura an exasperated look, "Sakura, I told you before to call me Lady Tsunade. Lady Hokage is so formal. What I mean is that we need to keep Naruto occupied or he's bound to get into trouble of some sort. We have no missions at the moment, so now we need to think of something fast." Tsunade sighed again and dropped her head into one hand. They sat in silence for a few minutes and then Shizune spoke up, "Lady Tsunade, do you remember the ninja that we picked to locate Naruto and determine his status and situation every few hours?" Tsunade raised her head again, "Oh yea, the one with the funny ears." Then Tsunade remembered that the man was not supposed to report unless something unusual had happened. "So what is Naruto up to now?"

Shizune looked a little uncomfortable because she and Naruto had become fast friends when they met, and here she was reporting on his actions like some kind of sneaky tattle-tale. "Well…," she said reluctantly, "The matter is resolved now, but it seems as though he got mixed up in the Hyuuga clan's family matters and ended up needed medical attention, but his wounds were nothing too serious, of course, but this caused some unrest in the Hyuuga main branch. However, another report came in stating that all is well now, and Naruto has returned to his own apartment, so there's nothing to worry about, really."

Tsunade groaned so loudly that Sakura jumped in her seat. "That Naruto! It's exactly like something only he could do! What are we going to do with him?!?!" Sakura had an idea, but she was a little reluctant to speak up. Eventually she ignored her small fear of the Hokage and spoke up, "Lady Tsunade, I think I have an idea." Tsunade looked at her and smiled saying, "Well what do you know, Sakura, you finally got my name right!" When Sakura stared blankly at Tsunade, the Hokage sighed once more and asked her to carry on. Sakura continued, this time a little less sure of herself, "I noticed that Naruto is always complaining about his training, so I thought that if we could arrange someone to train with him, then maybe that would keep him busy for a while."

Tsunade appeared to think it over. Shizune said, "I think it's a pretty decent idea. Good work Sakura." Sakura blushed at the praise as Tsunade said slowly, "Yes…it's perfect. Hinata has just received and indefinite amount of spare time. If she would agree to train with Naruto, then we could stop worrying about Naruto, and Hinata would get in some physical training, possibly. Yes! I fully approve!" Tsunade focused her sharp gaze on Sakura and said, "Sakura Haruno, I give you the full responsibility of putting your plan into action. You will be responsible for the continuation of their training together until Ino and TenTen return from their missions. You are dismissed."

Sakura got out of her seat, did a quick bow, and said, "Yes, Lady Hokage!" Tsunade tut-tutted and called to the leaving Sakura, "It's Lady **Tsunade**!"

***

TenTen, Kiba, and Shino had just returned to Konoha from their mission, and the first person they run into is a moody Naruto. Kiba greeted him but Naruto just scowled and turned away, muttering under his breath. "What's with him?" TenTen asked. Kiba was thinking the same thing, "Whatsa matter Naruto? What happened?" Naruto looked at them waiting patiently for an answer and sighed. "I think something's wrong with Hinata." The trio was instantly anxious, "What! Tell us, did something happen? Is she hurt?" Naruto put his hands up, palms outward. "No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just that she's been acting kinda cold lately, you know?"

Shino asked, "Cold, as in how?" Naruto sought the words he needed and finally said, "Well, I'm getting the feeling that I made her mad or something, but Hinata isn't the type of girl to get mad very easily, right?" Kiba grunted as TenTen shrugged. "So if she is mad at me, then I must have done something pretty bad, right? That really worries me." Kiba spoke up, "How about we talk to her and ask her what's up? If she's mad at you, we'll let you know." Naruto smiled, "Thanks Kiba."

As they turned a corner and turned in the direction of the Hokage's building, TenTen, Kiba, and Shino said their goodbyes to Naruto and went to report on their mission. Naruto decided to head over to his secret cave and train alone. _This sucks_, thought Naruto, _Hinata was training with me, but now she's mad or something so I'm back to training alone again._ Naruto was shuffling through the forest, not paying attention to anything around him when, suddenly, a voice somewhere in front of him said, "Naruto…" Naruto jerked back and called out, "Who's there? Show yourself!" Hinata stepped from out of the shadows saying, "It's just me Naruto, don't worry. I was hoping I would find you here. I need to tell you something."

***


	3. Demon Bonding: a Dangerous Gamble

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. Blah Blah Blah...**

Tsunade looked at TenTen, Shino, and Kiba with his dog Akamaru and said, "Good work you three. Kiba, Shino, you may go now, but TenTen, stay here." Kiba and Shino bowed respectively and left in a hurry. They were both very worried about Hinata and wanted to go find her quickly to find out what was wrong. Shino was thinking, _what had happened? Could jealousy be the cause of this? I know Hinata feels for Naruto, but what if he did something with another girl? No, I highly doubt that Hinata would act out because of something like this. She would act sad, sure, but not cold, and not towards Naruto. So what could have happened?_

Kiba sniffed the air and asked Akamaru, "Do ya smell her, boy?" Akamaru barked twice. Kiba listened and said, "I see. This way!" he called to Shino and headed towards one of the forested training grounds. Shino was right on his heels. They sped through the forest, Akamaru leading the way. "Wait, Kiba stop!" Shino called out. Kiba slid to a stop on a tree branch looked questioningly at Shino, saying, "Yeah, what is it?" Shino stopped lightly next to Kiba and said, "If we appear, flying through the trees into Hinata's direction, demanding to know what's wrong, Hinata might not tell us. I think it would be a better approach if we tracked her quietly from here and tried to work the truth about what's wrong in a less gung ho style." Kiba thought about it and said, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Let's go then, quietly."

They moved through the forest as silently as possible when Akamaru growled deep in his throat. "We're close," Kiba said to Shino. Shino just nodded. They proceeded on foot, so that if they accidently ran into her, it would seem like a coincidence. They froze when they heard Hinata say, "I need to tell you something." Then they were surprised to hear Naruto answer, "Yeah? Okay, then. What did you wanna tell me then?" Shino and Kiba exchanged surprised looks. Naruto had found her first. In a silent agreement, they decided to watch from the shadows to see what would happen. They crept forward slowly until the two other shinobi came into view. Naruto was standing with his hands in his pockets, his face expressionless, while Hinata was standing with her hands folded down in front of her, and she was staring at the ground. She seemed fine, acting just like normal.

Hinata spoke saying, "I wanted to apologize for being rude before. I didn't know how to tell you before, but, remember that day; I had to go see Lady Hokage?" Naruto frowned because that was the same day she started acting different, "Yea so what?" Hinata was finding it hard to continue with Naruto being so disagreeable. "Well, that day it was decided that I was going into medical training." It took a few moments for her words to sink into Naruto's mind. Then he whooped, "Hinata! That's awesome! Why didn't you just tell me this before?!"

Naruto closed the small distance between them and hugged Hinata. Shino and Kiba waited for Hinata to faint or turn red in the face, but she just smiled and hugged Naruto back. The two boys in the shadows were stunned. What exactly had happened while they were gone? Hinata did seem to be acting strange… Then Naruto said, "Hey, wait a minute. That means you're going to be like Sakura!" Shino flinched, knowing that whenever Naruto talked about Sakura, Hinata tended to become depressed. He couldn't believe it when Hinata laughed, saying, "Yes, I guess I am."

Shino couldn't think of an explanation for it. Had Hinata lost her feelings for Naruto in such a short time? It didn't seem possible. _Could she have…?_ _No, she couldn't have told him. They weren't acting that way. Besides, it wouldn't make sense that Hinata had been treating Naruto uncaringly._ Kiba was smiling. He had no idea of Hinata's feelings for Naruto. _Most people are pretty clueless that way. Like Naruto…_ Had Hinata finally given up on him? Kiba said, "Well, whaddya know? I guess everything worked out okay." They watched Naruto let go of Hinata and start to tell her something he found funny with wild hand gestures. They definitely seemed back to normal. _Still_, Shino thought to himself, _I think we should keep an eye on Hinata. It could be an imposter…_

***

Naruto was in his training cave once again focusing his mind. He kept trying to enter the room that held his jutsu, but recent events kept distracting from the task on hand. _So all of the girls on the squads are going to be medical ninja… That's not fair; they will have the upper hand in the contest… They are all training under Grandma Tsunade, and she is strong!_ There was to be a contest of sorts; actually a very complicated obstacle race. There would be three rewards. For the first person to reach the finish and retrieve the object, prize money and a week off from missions; for second place, special coupons for all kinds of free food, and also a week off; and for the third person, just a week off. All of the rewards were worth entering for.

There would be all kinds of different obstacles, from crossing canyons, to being attacked by jounin from the village. There would be puzzles to solve, and everyone was required to carry a heavy pack the entire way. For Naruto this was a problem. He was used to relying on the intellect of others, which put him at a disadvantage. The genin participating were allowed to create their own squads of three. Neji, TenTen, and Lee had chosen to stick together as a squad because they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses, and were used to working together. The other squads quickly followed suit. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata stayed together as well. Since Shikamaru was a chunin, he was not allowed to participate. So Ino and Chouji accepted Sakura into their squad. This left Naruto going solo.

Naruto scowled and growled under his breath. It would be virtually impossible for him to win on his own, but he had already enrolled and now it was too late to back out. He would have to figure something out. Suddenly, Naruto found himself in his mind building. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Finally, I thought I would never make it here." He started down the path to the room with his jutsu, but an enormous growl emanated from the room with his Kyuubi. Naruto felt shivers going up and down his spine when he realized that the Nine-tailed Fox was growling his name. "Naruto...!"

Naruto couldn't stop himself as he made his way towards the demon fox that had been sealed in his body when he was a baby. As he walked up to the bars that symbolized the powerful seal that kept Kyuubi in check, he suddenly gained control of himself once again. Naruto violently shook his head, thinking, _Man, I gotta pull myself together!_ Naruto stopped himself close to the bars of the seal and called out, "What do you want, Nine-Tailed Fox?! Show yourself!" Kyuubi appeared grinning evilly. _Man he's enormous!_, thought Naruto. "Naruto…It's not a question of what I want, but what you want." The deep, gravelly sound of Kyuubi's voice seemed almost hypnotizing. "Me? But I don't want anything, well not from you, anyway." Kyuubi grinned even wider growling out the words, "Oh, but I can help you find what you have been searching for."

"Stop talking in riddles!" Naruto yelled. Kyuubi said, "You desire a bigger power, a better jutsu. You want to prove yourself to the people in your life once again. Don't forget, Naruto Uzumaki, I am within your soul, therefore, I know your heart and its desires. I even know some things about you that you do not know yourself." Naruto was furious; furious with Kyuubi for suggesting that he was power hungry and furious with himself for actually being interested. He couldn't stop himself from asking, "All right, so maybe I do want to create new jutsu and get stronger. Tell me then; how?"

Kyuubi laughed and grinned wickedly. "You will have to pass through the seal bars. Then, you must face me and survive." Naruto started in surprise, but then became angry. "You're lying. You just want me to enter so that you can kill me or something. I don't believe you!" Kyuubi's chakra grew intense as he growled, "It will be your choice to believe me or not. You can struggle on your own, but do not call on me when you feel the need." Kyuubi began to fade back into the shadows when Naruto called out, "Wait! Hold up! Let me think about it first."

Kyuubi's demon chakra grew even more intense as his presence grew more substantial. The demon fox was silently watching Naruto think. Naruto looked up, his eyes fierce. "I have an idea!" Before Kyuubi could respond, Naruto thrust his hand in between two of the bars. There was a slight resistance and then Naruto's hand was in the prison. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but then Naruto screamed in agony. His arm seemed to be on fire and he couldn't pull it back out. "You little fool!" roared the nine-tailed demon. You are supposed to make special preparations before attempting a demon bond! If you were to enter now, the raw power of my chakra would destroy you!" Kyuubi then leaned back onto his hind legs while making demon style hand signs, "Demon Ninja Bond, Level One Bond!"

The red demon chakra engulfed Naruto's burning arm and soaked into it. When it finally cleared, there were three demon symbols tattooed on Naruto's arm. The pain had finally stopped. Naruto pulled his arm out of the nine-tailed fox's prison and collapsed on the ground, paralyzed. His body was shaking uncontrollably, and his arm was still hurting. Kyuubi looked at Naruto's worn out body shivering on the ground and let out a long sigh. As he sighed, red chakra from the nine-tailed demon surrounded Naruto's body. When the chakra cleared, Naruto was no longer shaking so wildly. "It is now time for you to return to the world of the living. So go now because," Kyuubi turned and disappeared into the shadows, "you are not yet ready to complete a bond."

Naruto woke up on the ground in his secret cave with a ridiculous cramp in his neck. _Did I fall asleep? That strange dream, it couldn't have been true!_ Naruto shivered at the memory of it. Was there a way he could see if it had all really happened? _A demon using jutsu…? There's no way…Oh well, must have been a dream then._ Naruto pulled himself upright into sitting position and stretched. As he stretched, he noticed something black and inky on his wrist, and when he tried to wipe it off, it didn't even smear. _What is this? It's as if it's part of my skin…_ Naruto pulled up the sleeve of his right arm and studied the mark more closely. _Wait a minute…_ Naruto discovered two more black marks; one on the back of his hand, the other in between his wrist and elbow, on the outside of his arm. _So this means…It means that…It wasn't a dream…_

***

Tsunade was in a foul mood. Naruto had turned up missing for the past four hours! _Where could that brat be?_ The search parties had been joined by the Black Ops Corp, and soon they would start searching along the border. _He'd better still be in the Leaf territory. If he crossed the border in any direction…then even I can't protect him from the consequences…_

***

Raagi's job was very difficult and dangerous. As leader of the Anbu Black Ops, it came as part of the package. He had tons upon tons of important work. When he got called out to search for and retrieve a genin, he'd been ready for a deserter, not for some blond kid who had been sleeping in a hole somewhere. Or at least he looked like he'd been sleeping in a hole. _I'm not sure I even want to know what this kid had been up to._ Raagi let out a long sigh. His squad had found the boy wandering through the forest, on the brink of passing out. They couldn't get anything out of him; he seemed to be in shock. Raagi radioed in, reporting his find.

***

Tsunade was standing by Naruto's hospital bed, along with Sakura and Shizune. Sakura was very worried, "Will he be okay, Lady Tsunade?" The Fifth Hokage ran a hand over her face and answered, "He should be okay. He'd been in a state of shock, but his condition has stabilized." Sakura sighed as Shizune asked, "What exactly was wrong with him?" Tsunade answered, saying, "That's the strangest part. He was completely drained dry of all his chakra." Both Sakura and Shizune's faces showed surprise. "Naruto ran out of chakra?! How is that even possible? Couldn't he have just used the…" Shizune broke off what she was saying when the Hokage shot her a dark look. _Oh yes, that's right. Sakura doesn't know about the Nine-Tailed Fox demon sealed inside of Naruto._

Sakura was confused, "What? What were you going to say Shizune?" Shizune looked away, "Nothing; nothing important anyway." Tsunade continued where she had left off, "Anyway, when the Anbu found him, he'd been babbling about training for the upcoming competition." Sakura looked at Naruto's peaceful face. "Poor Naruto; of course he'd work himself to the bone. He's the only one entering the competition solo." Tsunade was surprised, "What?! He's entering alone? There's no way he'd even place while going by himself!" Sakura smiled, "Yes, **we** know that, but he'll never admit it; not to himself or anybody else." Tsunade looked at Naruto lying still on the bed, and said to herself, "The little fool."

***

Three days later, Naruto was up and about again. He wanted to return to his training, but Tsunade forbade it. Naruto was liable to hurt himself, she claimed. Naruto scoffed as he tried to sneak away into the forest. Just like before, he was stopped by the mysterious ninja who followed him everywhere. Naruto sighed and decided to go find Hinata and ask if he could train with her. As he walked, he noticed the ninja with funny ears following him again. _Ha! Eat this sucker!_ "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto split into three shadow clones and ran off in three different directions. Much to the surprise of the real Naruto sitting at a table, the stalker ninja also made three clones and began the chase with the Fake Narutos. "What the-?! He has shadow clones?! Man, good thing I used my Sexy Jutsu, just in case."

Naruto skulked around in the shadows until he was sure the other ninja had gone far enough. Then he set out looking for Hinata. He searched all over town and in all of the training areas until he finally found her in the Hyuuga training grounds. "Hey Hinata, I've been looking all over for you! How've you been?" Hinata was startled by Naruto's sudden yelling. _Naruto?, But what is he doing here?_ Naruto stopped in front of her, "Hey Hinata, I came here to ask you a favor. Would train with me, please? Maybe if Grandma Tsunade saw that I was okay and training with somebody she would give me a little bit more freedom. What do you say Hinata, will you? Hinata…Blah, blah, blah…"

Hinata stopped listening to Naruto yammer on and on as a sudden nervousness settled in her stomach. _Why is Naruto doing this? Is he __**trying**__ to making things much more difficult? Why did he come to me?_ "Hey, Hinata, are you even listening to me? Huh? Hinata…What's wrong?" Hinata tried to keep a detached attitude as she said, "I'm sorry Naruto; I don't want to train with you. I need to prepare for the beginning of my medical training, and you would just be a burden. So please, just leave me alone and go find someone else to bother." Hinata was getting more and more irritated. _It's as if he's trying to ruin everything._ _Oh, Naruto…Please, just go away._

Hinata didn't miss the hurt look that crossed his face as he said, surprised, "Hinata…" Then he turned on his heel and walked away, head down, with his hands in his pockets. Hinata exhaled with relief. She truly didn't feel for Naruto anymore, but it was very possible to fall for him all over again. _Especially with the kunai that I where around my neck,_ Hinata's conscience pricked her, _and it's no excuse to hurt Naruto's feelings._ Hinata sighed and shook her head. It would be best not to think about Naruto at all.

***


	4. The Mortal Forest Obstacle Race

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. Many aspects of the story will be different.**

**Note from author to all my readers: Sorry for the delay in chapter four, and be prepared for more delays in the future chapters. I have a minimal amount of access to the internet at the moment.**

Sakura Haruno spotted Naruto trudging through the streets in the city, head hung dejectedly. She quickly rushed toward him calling, "Naruto! Hey, wait up!" Naruto didn't respond and kept walking the same way. Sakura sped up until she was fairly close behind him. "Naruto, stop!" she called again. Once again he didn't seem to have heard her. She finally caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him roughly. Finally Naruto looked up into Sakura's face. Sakura almost screamed as she jumped back. Naruto's face had such a dark look, that it seemed almost inhuman. _He…he looks like a demon!_

Naruto's face suddenly cleared and he appeared to notice Sakura for the first time. He gave her a half-hearted smile and said, "Oh, hi Sakura; what's up?" Sakura tried to put on a mask of friendliness, but in truth, she was terrified. "N-Naruto; umm, you see, the thing is, I was supposed to get you a training partner just until Ino and TenTen got back, and well, you see, they're both back, and I feel terrible, because you don't really have anybody to help you in the completion after tomorrow…well the thing is, Naruto, I'm really sorry that you don't have a team and that I left you to join the competition alone, and I failed in keeping you occupied- I mean I failed in getting you help, and…oh I don't know what I'm saying." Sakura gave a nervous laugh, desperate to get away and find her bearings.

This time, Naruto's smile was sincere. "You don't have to apologize, Sakura. I totally understand, it's not really a problem." Naruto seemed to be himself again, but Sakura still felt a shiver run up her spine at the memory of Naruto's face when he had looked up. "Well, I have to get going now. Lady Tsunade wanted me to help the others prepare themselves for the medical training. See ya!" Sakura turned and jogged back in the direction of Tsunade's living quarters. When she finally worked up the courage, she stopped to turn and wave to Naruto. In response, he raised one hand, and then let it drop when Sakura resumed running. _Thank you, Sakura. You pulled me out of the pit there. Who knows what I would have done, with the mood I was in?_ Naruto sighed and continued walking, his eyes downcast.

***

_**The day of the competition…**_

Naruto woke up and looked around sleepily. He stretched and yawned. Then he flipped over on his stomach to look at his clock on the dresser. "Yikes! I'm gonna be late!" He leaped from his bed and quickly got dressed as he pulled food from his small refrigerator. He inhaled something he found in a carton and flew out of his apartment, stopping only long enough to lock up. Naruto ran all out to starting line, but when he got there, it was empty except for one man setting up some sort of stand. "Naruto skidded to a stop in front of him saying breathlessly, "Hey! What's the matter?! Did they leave already?!"

The man grabbed Naruto's arm to stop him from falling over and said, "Whoa, slow down. What are you talking about? Are you in the competition?" Naruto made a sour face, "I'm too late right? I missed it. That's it for me, huh? No! Give me a pack anyway! I'll catch up; I can do it, I swear!" The man laughed and said, "Do you have any idea what time it is?" When Naruto shook his head he continued, "It's half-past eleven. The race doesn't begin until _half-past midday_." When Naruto heard this he looked thoughtful, saying, "Well…maybe I could have mixed up the times a little bit…Wait! You mean I ran all the way over here to be _an hour early!?_"

The man laughed again and said, "It's fine, don't worry. Everybody's going to start arriving soon anyway. What about your team? Wouldn't they have woken you?" Naruto's bottom lip stuck out a little, "I don't _have_ a group," he grunted. The man dropped a box that he was carrying and spluttered, "What do you mean?! You're going solo?! But you're just genin, aren't you?" Naruto crossed his arms and glared at the man, "So?! I'll win, it'll be easy. I'm a better ninja than all those guys put together!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever Naruto," said TenTen, as she conked him on the head, coming from behind him. Naruto grabbed his head and turned to glare at TenTen. "What was that for?!" TenTen replied, "I had to stay up half the night entertaining my grandmother who wouldn't sleep, then get up earlier than usual to wait for Lee to show up at our meeting point. Neji and I waited there for hours, and when Lee finally appeared, we find out that he had been getting in some more training and lost track of time. Now we're finally here, and the first thing we run into, is you, Naruto, shouting your head off, as usual," TenTen sighed, "What's a girl gotta do for some peace and quiet?"

Naruto gave TenTen a crooked look and turned to her teammates and asked, "What's _her_ problem?" Lee gasped, saying, "Naruto! Were you not listening? TenTen is very tired, and she needs some rest! Now please, stop yelling." Naruto grumbled under his breath and turned away. "Whatever. You just feel guilty because you made them wait for you." Naruto went back to bothering the working man, while TenTen collapsed in the shade. Neji and Lee sat down next to her while they waited for the rest of the contestants to show up.

_**A half-hour later…**_

"Okay, now that everybody's shown up, we can begin the preparations for the obstacle course. The race will begin in half an hour." Naruto woke up suddenly when the loud voice spoke out. _What the…? I fell asleep?_ He looked around and saw that the rest of the genin were already present, along with a few hundred spectators. Naruto stood up and made his way over to where the rest of his friends were standing. As he closed in on the group, they noticed him and greeted him. Kiba smiled wolfishly and said, "So you're finally awake, huh? You're still thinking of participating?" Naruto answered, "Are you kidding?! I'm gonna beat every one of you!" Everyone laughed except for Neji and Shino.

The working man from before walked up to the group. "Okay, now you're all aware of the objective in this race, but now I'm going to tell you the ground rules. First, the order in which you take off is determined by the order in which you arrived. Therefore, Naruto Uzumaki will be first to leave. Ten minutes after his departure, Neji team will follow suit, and so on. Do you understand?" The genin were dumbstruck. Ino said, "You mean we'll be last?! Nobody told us that it's first come first go!!"

The man answered, "None of you were told because this was supposed to be a test of your efficiency. You thought that the race began at midday. This is true; however, the test began the moment you arrived. Even now you are being evaluated as we speak." Naruto was confused, "Evaluated, how? We aren't doing anything except standing around talking." The answer he got was, "You were evaluated by the way you spent your time before beginning, by your attitude towards the upcoming race, even by your reactions upon being informed that you were being tested."

Lee was looking relieved that they were at least second even after he slowed his team's arrival. Chouji was sheepishly ignoring Ino's and Sakura's killer stares in his direction; he was also late. The man continued, "The second major rule is that under no circumstance, are any of you allowed to attack another team. However, after passing a certain checkpoint, (you will not be told where it is), you will be randomly attacked by any jounin or chunin that may come across you." The group silently digested this information. "The final main rule is that the moment the sun sets, all race activities are to end. You may not continue towards the finish line. There are hidden cameras all over the competition territory to ensure none of you break the rules. Also, any higher-ranking ninja attacking a group will instantly stop the fight. You are allowed to set up camp and eat. Whether you sleep or not is up to you, but I can't think of any reason why you shouldn't."

As he explained more specific guidelines, like the maximum amount of weapons allowed to be carried by each ninja, the Fifth Hokage arrived with Shizune. They made their way to the loudspeaker on the platform by the equipment stand. Tsunade cleared her throat and said, "Okay, why don't we just get on with it? All of the participating genin, report to the equipment stand to receive their…special packages." She gave a cold smile and chuckled into the microphone. The group trudged over to the stand and formed a line in the order they were to depart. As Naruto was handed his pack, he almost dropped it to the floor. "Man!! What's in here, rocks?!!" Tsunade gave him an evil grin and said, "Exactly."

Naruto unclasped his pack and looked in. Inside, there were indeed rocks. "What a waste of space," Naruto complained, "Where are we supposed to put our gear and tools and food?" Tsunade gave a hearty laugh. "Well then, maybe you'll have to carry more than one pack!" Naruto harrumphed, closed up his pack and went off to skulk to the side, dragging his pack on the ground. The rest of the teams were having trouble with their packs as well, except for a few. Chouji pulled his pack on easily and bounced it, saying, "This is nothing." Sakura too pulled her pack on without a problem. Ino's mood significantly improved. _If Sakura can pick it up then so can I!_ She gripped her pack and pulled. "Oof! That _is_ heavy! How in the world did you manage to pick it up, Sakura?!" Sakura was surprised, "I don't know, it just doesn't seem as heavy as everyone makes it out to be."

"Naruto Uzumaki, proceed to the starting point!" The person on the loudspeaker called only Naruto, but everyone headed over to the starting line anyway. Naruto was psyched and ready to go, but he still had a couple of minutes to wait. He stopped near the starting line and sat on his pack. The man that had explained the rules to them, and was apparently the host of the competition, cleared his throat and said to Naruto, "Actually, you…um…you need to be wearing your pack already because you have less than two minutes before you take off." Naruto moaned, "Aw, man," but he got up and tugged it on anyway.

As the time ticked away, Tsunade spoke up, "Now just before you go, you should know that it should take you approximately two weeks to reach the finishing point, so good luck, and see you in two weeks!" The host was looking at a countdown timer and starting calling off the seconds, "Ten, Nine, Eight…" Naruto slightly leaned forward to give him momentum, "Seven, Six, Five, Four…" The spectators grew tense with anticipation, "Three, Two, One…GO!" Naruto took off at full speed, very quickly closing the distance between him and the tree line that would hide him. The next moment, he was out of sight.

***

Neji called his group together to plan out their strategy. "Of all the teams, we are the luckiest and most likely to succeed." Lee and TenTen were confused. Lee said, "But Naruto gets a head start, and Chouji as well as Sakura carry the heavy packs easily." TenTen said skeptically, "Yeah, I agree with Lee. I don't see what's so good about our situation." Neji answered, "Knowing Naruto, he'll keep that pace as long as he can, effectively wasting all of his energy very early in the race." TenTen argued back, saying, "Yeah, and knowing Naruto, the next day, he'll be completely refreshed and full of energy again." Neji countered that by saying, "Yes, that is true, but you forget, Naruto has no team; he's on his own. Also, it is extremely likely that he will spring many of the traps that will lie along the way. Being second to leave is, in fact, very fortunate for us. As for Chouji's team, they have no strategist, and no obvious leader; two very serious disadvantages." TenTen was nodding, and Lee seemed to understand Neji's line of thinking. "All right," Lee said, "We will win, and prove that through hard work and determination, we can be the best!"

***

Shino was thinking along the same lines as Neji, also planning his team's strategy. "Team Neji definitely has the advantage, but we're not that bad off, ourselves. Of course, Naruto has the least chance of winning, so that means, either way, we still place. However-" Hinata interrupted Shino saying, "You shouldn't say things like that about Naruto. It's not his fault he has nobody to team with. I think he could win, so stop acting like he already lost!" Shino and Kiba stared at Hinata. _She's getting worked up over my dismissal of Naruto's skills_, thought Shino, _maybe this is the real Hinata, not a fake. Perhaps she was just going through some kind of phase in her feelings towards Naruto. So she's passed my test then. In reality, I fear that Naruto may indeed win this competition going solo. That would be embarrassing…_

_***  
_

Chouji was munching on a bag of chips, as usual. Ino was checking out the other groups, "So, what do you think they're up to? You know, with all the secrecy and stuff?" Chouji shrugged and kept on eating. Sakura sat with her head in her hands. She sighed and said, "We still have half an hour to go before it's our turn. What do you think we should do?" Ino flopped onto the ground, her back against her pack, and said, "We should just wait." Sakura shook her head saying, "No, I think we should _do_ something." Ino answered sarcastically, "Oh really, like what?" Chouji ripped open another bag of chips. "I don't know, but _something_," said Sakura. "Well I think we should wait!" shouted Ino. Sakura started to yell back and they engaged in another pointless argument. Chouji's face was expressionless as he continued eating, but his thoughts were, _Girls…why do I need two on my team…?_ Chouji sighed. This was going to be a very long two weeks.

**Author's Notes: Sorry it's so short, then next one will be much longer, I promise! Tell me what you like and, *mutters incoherently* what you don't. He-he, I tried my best for all of you.**

**P.S. For those of you who might be wondering, this will be a Naruto-Hinata pairing, plus others as well.  
**


	5. End of Day 1 and the Next Morning

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Naruto Shippuden. This story takes place in an alternate Naruto universe.**

Naruto leaped from branch to branch as he tried to escape yet another trap that he had unwittingly set off. This time, it was a swarm of angry bees chasing him. Naruto aimed at a branch that was angled so it could let him change direction easily. "Aaaaaagh!!!...," Naruto yelled. He overshot the branch and landed in a small hilly area. As he rolled downwards, the bees flew over his head and onward. Naruto noticed this and tried to stop rolling down, but failed. He rolled over the side of a miniature cliff and fell 15 feet to the little river below. Naruto climbed out of the water, shivering a little. He looked around the lightly wooded area and noted that the sun was close to setting. _I think I'll camp here tonight. It's very nice here. _Naruto slipped of his pack full of rocks and dropped it on the ground. He collapsed on the ground and used his rock pack as a back rest. Naruto closed his eyes to rest for a second…just a second…

**Team Neji**

Neji chuckled to himself as he looked at the scenes of destruction his team was passing by. "What's so funny, Neji?" TenTen asked. Neji actually allowed himself a small smile before answering, "I do believe that Naruto has set off every trap that has been set up. What we are seeing now is the result of his antics." Lee and TenTen looked around the forest. Trees were uprooted or snapped in half, animals were squabbling with each other, and enormous holes in the ground were steaming suspiciously. Lee gaped at the sight, saying, "Naruto did all this?!" Neji shook his head. "Not quite. While he did have a hand to play in it, this is mostly the work of the traps set for us." TenTen shook her head. "I won't be surprised if we find his mangled body somewhere around here. I know that none of the dangers are supposed to be fatal, but this looks brutal." Neji brought his hands to his face in a hand sign. _Byakugan!_ He looked around the forest area with his enhanced vision. "It looks like he set off all of them, and got away safely too." He noticed a small pool of clear water to the side. "There; that's where we will camp tonight."

**Team Shino**

Shino's team was steadily progressing forward, using the river as a guide. Hinata was trying to figure out exactly where they were on the map, while Kiba and Akamaru were on the lookout for the other teams or attackers. Shino was debating with himself whether or not to stop yet. _The sun has almost set. It would be a good idea to stop now. However, I see no place where we can stop to rest. We need water, but we're following the river, so that shouldn't be a problem. If we could just- there! That clearing would be good._ "Hinata, we will be stopping here tonight. Scan the area to make sure there are no surprises." Hinata nodded and brought her hands to her face. _Byakugan!_ She scanned the clearing and the woods around it. "There is nobody there. No traps either." Kiba was tired and impatient from the nonstop traveling. "Well okay then, let's set up camp already!"

**Team Ino Sakura Chouji**

"Chouji! At this rate, you're gonna run out of food by tomorrow!" Ino yelled. Chouji just shrugged and kept on eating. Sakura was trudging along behind her two teammates. Ino was cranky because she was tired of carrying the heavy pack all day and was taking it out on Sakura and Chouji. "Okay! The sun's about to set so, Sakura; you're in charge of finding water, while Chouji's in charge of making a clearing for us!" announced Ino. Sakura was incredulous. "Who made you the leader? If you ask me, Chouji should be the leader." Ino gave Sakura a killer glare, "Nobody _**asked**_ you, substitute!" Chouji rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath. Then he stopped and cocked his head to the side, as if listening for something. Ino and Sakura didn't notice, as they were deep in another argument. _Is that…? Yes! That's the sound of water!_ Chouji faced the direction he heard water coming from. "Partial Expansion jutsu! Both Arms!" As his arms grew enormous, he swung them at the trees. There was a minor earthquake and a cloud of dust covered everything in sight.

Ino and Sakura had fallen to the ground and were now both glaring at Chouji. "Are you crazy?!!" Sakura yelled. Chouji sighed and explained, "There's running water in that direction. The trees are pretty thick here, so I thought I'd clear the area." The angry looks were replaced with relieved ones. "Whew. I thought maybe we were being attacked or something," said Ino. Sakura stood up and dusted herself, saying, "If that's what you were trying to do, then in that case, excuse me." She walked past Chouji to inspect the damage he had made to the forest. Only three or four trees had fallen. A few others were bent awkwardly. Chouji noticed this and said, "I don't think I have enough energy to make a big one." Sakura was stretching her arms out and flexing them. She took a deep breath and swung her hand at a tree still standing in a chopping motion. When she hit it, cracks appeared in the trunk. Ino and Chouji were amazed. _Such strength!_ thought Chouji. _Sakura…_, Ino thought.

The tree creaked loudly and started to fall on top of Sakura. She took two steps back and jumped into the air. After one spin, she sent her foot out to kick the tree. The battered tree smashed into the other trees with enough force to scar a mountainside. As the dust settled, it revealed Sakura breathing heavily, and a straight line to the river. Chouji wasted no time, "Let's go set up camp." He ran off down the path with Sakura close on his heels. Ino was still standing in place. _Sakura…_, she thought again. Then, her eyes to her feet, she slowly made her way towards the river.

**Team Neji**

Neji Hyuuga's team was sitting around the small fire they had made with full stomachs, relaxed. TenTen was glad finally there was peace and quiet. Lee was thinking about Sakura and his training, his thoughts dancing from one to the other. Neji was slightly nervous. Nervous about something he refused to think about. TenTen yawned. "Maybe we should get to sleep already. It would be pretty bad if we tried to continue the race while we're sleepy." Lee found that he, too, was tired. "Yes, we should rest. Tomorrow we will have new youthful energy to make use of." Neji replied, "Fine. Reduce the size of the fire, Lee. TenTen, you prepare the sleeping quarters. I will gather some more wood to keep the fire going through the night. We will need it in the morning." Neji's face was impassive, but his mind was in turmoil. _What should I do? Maybe is could- No, that's no good. Lee knows, he will help me. But maybe I should say…Got it._

He brought back sticks and some dried tree limbs and added them to the already large woodpile. The fire was already dimmed, and he heard Lee and TenTen rustling inside the 3-man tent. _I must hurry!_ Neji made his way to the tent and entered through the flap. Inside, his teammates had already chosen where they would sleep. Lee was on the left side while TenTen was on the right, leaving the middle just for Neji. Neji's heart sank and a cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck. _Too late…_ TenTen smiled at Neji and motioned towards his spot on the floor. "Neji…Aren't you going to sleep?" Neji swallowed hard and said, "A-Actually, I thought I should take the night watch, what with my Byakugan and all." With that he turned and left the tent.

TenTen stared at the tent flap where Neji had been standing. "Did Neji just stutter? Lee…do you think Neji's okay? I think something's wrong with him." Rock Lee was half asleep, not thinking about what he was saying. "It is okay, TenTen. Neji is just not comfortable with girls, is all. He…" Lee was suddenly wide awake. He gasped when he realized that he had told Neji's secret to TenTen. TenTen's eyebrows shot up. "Afraid of sleeping next to a girl, is he?" She brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled. Lee was desperate, "TenTen! You must not let Neji know that I told you! It was supposed to be a secret!" TenTen waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry," she whispered back to him, "I won't tell Neji. I promise." Lee relaxed a little, and tried to be relieved, but he was completely rigid and felt horrible. TenTen was feeling quite the opposite. She turned to a more comfortable position and smiled to herself. _So Neji feels nervous around girls. That's so cute…_

**Team Shino**

Shino, Hinata, and Kiba with Akamaru were all stretched out in their tent close to falling asleep, when Hinata suddenly said, "Shino, shouldn't we have someone stay awake to keep guard?" Shino let out a big sigh in his mind and answered, "No, Hinata. In this forest, the most dangerous animal would be a fox, maybe an angry buck, nothing we couldn't handle. And with nobody attacking after dark, there are no dangers, therefore, no pint in posting a sentry." Kiba spoke up, "Well if there is nothing too dangerous here, then why is it called the Mortal Forest?" Shino said, "The name of the forest was created as a joke, but it stuck. The main reasons this particular forest was picked for the contest was its size, and its unique geography. It has cliffs and rivers, canyons and grassland, forested areas and desert areas. Also, there is plenty of food for us to utilize. It's the perfect place for an advanced obstacle course. In a way…" Shino sat up lightly and looked at his teammates. _They're all asleep._ Shino chuckled and turned over to face the ceiling. _Oh well…_

***

Kiba was walking through a strange building. It looked like someone lived in it, yet it looked hundreds of years old. _Where am I…? This place is strange. And why isn't Akamaru with me? Maybe this is a dream. Yeah, probably is._ Kiba stopped at two solid oak double doors with round gold rings for handles. There was a symbol engraved on each door. _But-but that's my clan sign!_ Kiba frowned. _What is this place?_ He pushed at the double doors, but they would budge. _Oh, well duh. That's what handles are for._ This time, Kiba pulled on the handles and the door easily swung open. Inside, there was a small study with the desk straight across the room. There was a cheery fire burning in the fireplace. _This kinda looks like the Hokage's place, except there're no windows._ There was a chair behind the desk with a man sitting in it. In the chair was a man Kiba had never seen before. But Kiba wasn't interested in the man. He only had eyes for what was in the man's lap.

"Akamaru! Here boy! I've been lookin' for ya. What're you doing here, huh boy?" Akamaru barked happily at the sight of his master and jumped out of the strange man's lap to go to Kiba. Kiba happily hugged Akamaru as he got licked in the face over and over again. After they finished greeting each other, Kiba looked up at the man in the chair, who was regarding them coldly. Kiba was curious, "Who are you? Why was Akamaru with you? And what exactly is this place?"

The mysterious man didn't even blink. "I am Kimminato, and this is my domain. As for your pet, it is the sole reason why I have been summoned to your world." Kiba was ticked off. "Akamaru is _**not**_ my _**pet**_, he's my _**partner**_!" Kimminato still stared impassively at the pair. "Precisely, your partner. And you do everything together, right?" Kiba answered, "You bet! We even use our jutsu together, so don't cross me, or we'll kick your butt!" Kimminato's eyes flared. "Your jutsu!" he yelled. "You are nothing without Akamaru! What would you do, if Akamaru was to be killed in battle?!" Kiba was amused by Kimminato's anger. "Impossible. If Akamaru dies, I'm dying with him," Kiba said. Kimminato's face changed back to impassive. "Now I see the full extent of your weakness. You are indeed very fragile. In your dependence of Akamaru, you fail to grow by yourself. You must rid yourself of this weakness, my son." Kiba was startled, "What are you talking about?! Akamaru is not a weakness! You don't know nothing! And where do you get off calling me your son?! I know my father, and you're not him!"

Kimminato sighed, "Such anger, such rude words. Would you like to know why you are angry, Kiba? You are angry because you know I am right. You are weak, we both know this, and you hate that I know this." Kiba was furious, "Oh, I'm angry, but we're not weak! We'll show you our true power! Come on, Akamaru; Fang Over Fang!" Kimminato answered calmly, "Your jutsu is useless here. I'm sorry my boy, but since you will not acknowledge your weakness, I have no other choice. I shall have to take Akamaru from you."

Kimminato got up from his seat and started to walk around the desk. "Never! Akamaru stays with me. You have no right to touch hi-…!!!" Kiba grabbed his throat as he started choking. "I've told you before, you are in my domain. I could kill you with one glance." Kimminato reached down and picked Akamaru up. Akamaru whimpered as Kimminato took out a scroll and laid it across the floor, placing the white puppy on top. Kiba stopped choking, but collapsed to the floor, paralyzed, watching the evil that was taking his precious dog from him. Kimminato made a series of hand signs and placed his right palm on Akamaru's head. The dog started to sink into the scroll. He managed to bark once before he disappeared. Kimminato looked pityingly at Kiba and said, "Now, you are on your own. Goodbye."

***

Kiba's eyes flew open as he sat up. He looked around and spotted Akamaru sleeping by his leg. He wiped away a few tears of relief when he realized that it had all been a dream. _But it had seemed so real…_ Kiba was just about to go back to sleep when Shino walked into the tent. "Huh? Shino? I didn't even know you were gone. Why are you awake?" Shino answered, "The sun's almost up, and we need to get moving." Kiba groaned, "The sun's not even up yet?! What about breakfast?" Shino gently shook Hinata awake. Kiba watched because he had always been fascinated by how the Hyuuga always woke up wide-eyed. Hinata shot up into sitting position and hit Shino in the head. "Ouch." Hinata rubbed her forehead. "What's wrong, Shino?" Shino rubbed the side of his head, (He'd managed to turn his head at the last second), and said, "I've prepared breakfast, but we have less than half an hour before the sun rises, so we need to set off soon." Hinata nodded once and Kiba grumbled, "Fine, fine, come on wake up Akamaru."

**Team Ino-Sakura-Chouji**

Chouji was squirming around on his side of the tent, pressing his knees to his stomach. He finally woke up with one thought blazing in his mind, _I gotta __**go**__!!!_ He leaped from his mat and rushed out through the tent flap. Fifteen feet away, hidden behind a tree, he sighed contentedly, his eyes closed. All of a sudden, instead of the blackness of closed eyes, Chouji saw red. He opened his eyes and was blinded by the rising sun. Chouji's eyes widened. _The sun is up! We need to move!_ He finished up his business and hurried back to the tent to wake up the girls.

_**Two minutes later…**_

"What?! We're leaving already?! What about breakfast?!" Ino was not a morning person. Chouji winced at her shrill whining. _At least she managed to wake Sakura completely._ "We'll eat on the way. We can't afford to wait; we're already in last place." Ino's cries subsided, "Well, if you put it that way, then we should hurry." Chouji relaxed, and then tensed again, "I'll take care of the tent, while you and Sakura make the food and collect some water." Ino and Sakura shared and agreeable moment. Finally, somebody was taking charge. "You got it!" they said together.

**Team Neji**

Lee was packing up the tent when Neji woke up. His eyes were instantly alert, taking in every small detail. "Neji! You are awake. We let you sleep because you were very tired when we first woke you." Lee was edgy because he sometimes thought that Neji could read his mind. _I hope he cannot read my mind at the moment! Then he would know that I told his secret!_ Neji pulled down the covers and sat up, swaying a little. (He'd barely slept the night, freezing to death.) It was a funny thing to watch him at the moment because Neji woke up completely, but his mind kept trying to shut down and go into sleep mode. Just as Lee crawled halfway into the tent to pull a rope from inside, Neji stumbled off to clear pond that had a small brook running into it. He stumbled through the brush, rubbing his eyes. _I shall wash my face to wake up more and then I will eat. Lee and TenTen should have woken me earlier and…_ Neji stepped into the clearing with the pond and froze. His eyes were wide, his mouth wide open. He swallowed hard and carefully stepped back into the shadows. Then he fled back to camp. That definitely woke him up.

***

TenTen was bathing in the area of the pond where the water leaked away. That way, their drinking water would stay clean. The water was shallow, only a couple of inches above her knees. She knew it was a waste of time to bathe so early in the race, but she had accidentally fallen into some kind of smelly quicksand, and, after pulling her out, Lee agreed that she needed a bath. _The water is so cool and clear…it feels so great_, thought TenTen as she let down her hair. She had shoulder length hair, but she always wore it in two tight buns on each side of her head. TenTen started rubbing soap on her arms when she heard a sound behind her. She quickly dropped into the water and turned her head to look behind her. _Is it Lee…or Neji?_ Her heart was beating wildly. Had they seen anything? Suddenly, a small white rabbit burst from the bushes and stopped to nibble some grass. _Oh. Whew, it was only a bunny. I'd better hurry, Neji might wake up soon._

***

Lee and Neji had been able to finish packing everything up in a matter of minutes thanks to the way Neji seemed to have had a small dose of extra energy available. Now Neji stood facing away from the pond, clenching and unclenching his fists. He hadn't told Lee what he'd seen. He was scared that TenTen might have seen him gawking at her in the pond, completely undressed…_ Don't think about it, Neji! Forget what you saw… Even though I only saw the back of TenTen, it's the first time I saw a woman undressed. I'm used to seeing men in the hot springs and changing rooms, it's no big deal. But at the pond, it seemed somehow…different…better._ Neji shook his head vigorously to get rid of his improper thoughts.

"Hey guys, I'm ready to go. The sun's up." Neji turned and saw TenTen walking towards him and Lee doing push-ups next to him. "Wait-," Lee said, "I am almost finished! 498, 499, 500! There, I am ready too!" Neji nodded, "Then let us set off. We need to be heading north, which is that way." Neji pointed in the right direction. Lee and TenTen nodded and turned to walk in the direction Neji had pointed to. Lee took the lead, with TenTen behind him. Neji decided to bring up the rear. This was a mistake. Seeing TenTen's back only reminded Neji of what she looked like with no clothes on. Now walking behind her, he couldn't get that image out of his mind.

Neji cleared his throat, "I think I should take the lead so that I could check for any traps Naruto might have missed." Lee nodded, saying, "That is a good idea Neji. I will take the rear!" They quickly switched places. Neji finally loosened up. _Thank you, Lee._ Neji turned back to make sure they were all in place. He often did this when he was leading his team. This time, however, TenTen was giving him a knowing smile. _She knows! Oh gods she knows I saw her!_

**Note from author: Sorry it took so long! I was having some motivational issues. I had to cut this chapter off a little-it was taking too long. Hope you enjoyed it! :)**


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